[Republic of Korea] Park Seonyeong, Zhejiang University
“Time is like water in a sponge. It can always be squeezed out if you like.”
A famous quote can benefit you greatly. Among the many quotes I have memorized, this one by Mr. Lu Xun is my favorite. Whenever I was preparing for my final exams and complaining that I didn’t have enough time to study, or was procrastinating with the excuse that I didn’t have time, Lu Xun always stared me down and criticized my wasting of time like a teacher. He was always teaching me not to waste my limited time, but to seize the time to fulfill my dreams.
I began my study in China at the age of 7. My first encounter with Lu Xun was in the Chinese textbook of my first year in junior high school. I still remember clearly that it was a nightmare to analyze and recite many of Lu Xun’s profound and difficult texts in junior high. I still haven’t been able to truly understand his writings, but his ice-cold eyes in the photo, his story of abandoning medical school for literature and the patriotic spirit, and his inspirational words are deeply engraved in my heart, inspiring me to strive for advancement. Ever since then, Lu Xun has become a Chinese writer I greatly respect and admire, and this admiration brought me to Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, the hometown of Lu Xun, on June 23.
“You have arrived at Lu Xun’s hometown...”
As soon as the broadcast was made, I rushed out of the subway through the crowded people, because I couldn’t wait to start the journey. Outside the subway station, I was greeted by the blue sky, white clouds and a dazzling golden sun. Compared to the persistent rainy weather in previous days, this sunny day was like a greeting gift from Shaoxing for me and all the other visitors of Lu Xun’s hometown, warmly welcoming our arrival.
“Behind our house was a great garden known in our family as Hundred-Plant Garden. … But in my childhood it was my paradise.”
The article “From Hundred-Plant Garden to Three-flavor Study” that is filled with Lu Xun’s childhood memories left the deepest impression on me. The description of the Hundred-Plant Garden has always made me yearn for this wonderful “paradise” of his childhood. Now I was finally able to see it for myself. At this time of midsummer, green grass grew abundant in the Hundred-Plant Garden. The chirping cicadas and singing birds were putting on a chorus. It was a vibrant place full of colors and sounds. Everything here made my heart light and happy, and my mind seemed to be drifting away from worries and sorrows. Isn’t this also my own little “paradise”?
Leaving the Hundred-Plant Garden reluctantly, I crossed a small stone bridge and arrived at the Three-flavor Study, “the toughest school in town”. Compared with the unfettered Hundred-Plant Garden, the atmosphere here was distinctly serious. I came here to see the word “early” with my own eyes, which had been carved by Lu Xun on his desk. It is said that Lu Xun was often late for school because he had to take care of his father, so he carved the Chinese character “early” in the upper right corner of his desk as a reminder to himself. This character means that Lu Xun had been strict with himself since he was a child, and it also warns me to be “early” in everything.
I walked out of the Three-flavor Study, passed Lu Xun’s ancestral home, and came to the Lu Xun Memorial Hall. At the entrance stood Lu Xun’s tall statue, whose expression was serious, with his firm eyes staring at the people passing by. In the memorial hall, the objects Lu Xun had used in his lifetime, his handwritten manuscripts, and many photos and letters, vividly showed me the life story of this great Chinese writer as well as the “Lu Xun spirit” characterized by not being afraid of setbacks and never giving up.
Finally, I boarded the dark-awninged boat, slowly toured through the city, and ended this trip of “visiting” Lu Xun in enjoying the Jiangnan life style in the water town of Shaoxing.
The next day, I came to the local library early in the morning to find the “Dawn Blossoms Pluck at Dusk” and started to reread the articles by Lu Xun which had once puzzled me greatly. Perhaps there were many wonderful things I hadn’t seen in the past waiting for me to discover. After all, I had taken a three-hour subway ride the day before to “visit” Lu Xun in person, from Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, where I lived, to Lu Xun Middle Road in Shaoxing, where Lu Xun’s hometown is located.
The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).
